Monday, November 28, 2016

Moles are always a hot topic in the Lowcountry. I try to
write about them only once a year, and after walking through some
neighborhoods, looks like the time has come. Brown patch (Large Patch) has been
worse than I was hoping since it has been so dry. The disease is out there
where it seems to be every year.

The weekly mowing (noise, vibration, wheels of the mower) of
your yard during the summer and the tight, actively growing grass seems to
lower the mole activity some during the summer; however, the moles are out
tunneling for food now.

I still recommend a
3-prong approach when controlling moles for the less adventurous people that do
not want to trap and look at a dead mole.These 3 steps are:

Kill
the mole

Manage
its food source

Repel
other moles from your yard

Moles tunnel through your yard looking for food.They usually have several main runs through
your yard as well as secondary tunnels.The secondary tunnels are where they collect their food, and once they
have a gone down a secondary tunnel, they will not return to that tunnel.In order to kill a mole with bait or a trap,
you must be able to locate the main tunnel.

The best way to locate the main runs is to take a stick and
poke holes in the tunnels in your yard.Next, mark where you made these holes.The next morning come and check to see if the holes are plugged. If they
are plugged, then you know you have a main tunnel.The mole will only plug holes on the main
tunnel.That evening, open up one of the
holes that the mole plugged the night before and place bait (or trap) 5 feet on
either side of the hole that you reopened.When the mole comes back to re-plug the hole it will have to walk right
over the bait (or trap).These baits are
very tasty to the mole, so the mole will usually eat the bait and die.

Three baits that we regularly hear good results about are
Mole Patrol, poison worms and Talpirid.I prefer Mole Patrol because it is one third the price and has 6 times
the amount of bait placement as Talpirid.Stay away from poison peanuts.Moles do not eat peanuts. They eat insects and worms.

Controlling the food source is the next most important
factor in managing moles on your property.Depending on which doctor (PHD) you believe, the mole eats 85-125% of
its body weight every day.In human
terms a 100 lb. person would eat 85-125 lbs of food per day. That is a lot of
food! Think of Michael Phelps and all he eats from swimming in water. A mole is
swimming in soil!

Using a product like Sevin on a regular basis will do a good
job in managing the mole’s food source.Monitor your insect populations with a soap solution to determine how
often you need to apply insecticides.Use two ounces of lemon dish detergent in a five gallon bucket of water
and pour it slowly over your soil in the areas where you think you might have
insects and see what comes to the surface.Some products get tied up in the thatch to kill surface insects (like
ants), so be sure to get a product for sub-surface insects.

Castrol products (Mole Repellent, Repellex Mole, Vole and
Gopher Repellent) and other repellents (Mole Stopper) work good as perimeter
treatments to keep moles from re-infesting your property. Be sure there are not
any moles on your property before you put out this barrier or you will trap
them inside your landscape.Make a 10-20
foot band treatment around the perimeter of your property.Reapply these repellents as the label recommends.

If you yard is free of moles right now, you can skip #1 and
just manage their food source and repel them at the perimeter of your
property.Be sure your yard is free of
moles before you skip #1 in this process.If you take away the mole’s food source and he is in your yard already,
he will really tear up your yard looking for food!

If all this sounds like too much work, try the mole and
rodent smoke bombs or hire a professional!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Fall is for planting, so here is a recipe for amending the
soil for flower beds. You could use the same recipe for trees and shrubs with
some slight modification. If possible, test soil first then amend the soil
according to the soil test. Next try the amendments listed below. Wait 10 days
to plant, if possible.

Amend whole area not just the hole! With trees and shrubs do
not till deeper than the root ball of the plants you are planting. Once the
amendments settle you do not want your plant planted too deep.This recipe is based on per 100 sq. ft. of
planting area:

·Mule Mix – 200 lbs. per 100 sqft.Mule Mix is super-heated calcified clay.Mule Mix helps improve drainage and reduces
compaction.Mule Mix will last in the
soil for over 20 years.The particle can
hold its weight in water and then releases it slowly as the plant needs
it.We have used this product to correct
many water issues (too wet and too dry) over the years.

·Cotton Burr Compost – (4) 3 cu.ft. bags per 100
sq.ft. (sandy soil, increase to (6) bags).Cotton Burr Compost is nature’s perfect soil conditioner.The cotton boll (burr) is full of nutrients
and will not tie up nitrogen like wood and wood-based soil amendments.It will loosen up clay soils and add water
holding capacities to sandy soils.Cotton Burr is an excellent food source for beneficial soil organisms
that help make nutrients available to plants, aerate the soil and helps keep
harmful organisms and diseases in check.

·Flower Bed Amendment – (5) 1 cu.ft. bags per 100
sqft (in sand, increase to (8) bags).This product not only contains Cotton Burrs, but also composted cattle
manure, feather meal, cotton seed meal and alfalfa meal.Alfalfa meal is high in nitrogen and contains
Triacantanol, a natural root growth enhancer, and may help in the suppression
and control of certain fungal diseases.

Mix these products together and
till into 6-8 inches of soil.With clay
soil, you should have 1/3 amendments and 2/3 clay.With sandy soil, it should be ½ amendments
and ½ sand. For trees and shrubs adjust depth according to root ball size.

After tilling the bed, top dress
with (4) bags of Natures Blend and then (2) bags of Cotton Burr Compost. For
annuals cap it off with one pound of 17-00-09. Plant annuals through this area.
With this mixture, every time you water your plants are getting a “compost tea”
full of nutrients.

Test your soil after 30 days and
add any other amendments that your soil test indicates you need.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Another year has almost gone by. What a year! Matthew! The
great weather for people doing activities outside, led to fall armyworms, sod
webworms and large patch / brown patch on our turf. Does anyone / everyone have
moles? This week I started seeing tents going up in parking lots and people
wearing Christmas Hats, so I figured it was time for the yearly Christmas tree
article. I saw a tree in the back of a pickup truck yesterday. I guess he
figured if you are going to pay for a tree, might as well enjoy it for
Thanksgiving too.

I’m looking forward to my trip through the Festival of
Lights at James Island County Park. I’m sure I will be treated to another
outstanding display of lights this year, plus the sand castle, train, walk
around displays, shops and all the “fair food!” If you’re a kid, does Christmas
still seems like it takes forever to get here? It sure comes up quick to
me!

I wanted to get this yearly Christmas Tree article out
early, so you could make plans to go to a local Christmas Tree Farm, find a
local source for a cut tree, or use a live tree that you could use in your
landscape after the holidays, if you were so inclined.

After Thanksgiving, many of you will be searching for a
Christmas tree.If you are going to buy
a cut tree, consider buying it from a local business that is here year-round
like an independently owned garden center.If you buy it from a tent, or a temporary site, look for one that is run
by the Exchange Club, Optimist Club, Rotary Club, a local church, a local
school club, a local landscaper or another local organization.Many local organizations that sell trees give
a portion of the profits to local charities such as Camp Happy Days.

There are some people from out of state that set up tents in
grocery store parking lots. They take their profits out of state when they
leave. If you support our local businesses, then you keep our money in our
local economy and maybe save a local job. Very important to always keep profits
local, especially these days.

Many of the local garden centers offer great Christmas gifts
along with trees this time of year.They
have purchased many seasonal items that would be a great present for anyone.
Gift certificates are usually available for the hard to shop for gardener. I
know I felt like a professional athlete, signing Possum gift certificates last
week. Shopping at a garden center is a great way to avoid long lines.The parking is free and plentiful this time
of year.

Have you ever considered a live tree? Different Hollies
(right now you can tell the females with beautiful berries), Eastern Red Cedar,
Little Gem Magnolias, Osmanthus, Deodara Cedar and many more make great trees
and after the holidays you can plant them in your yard instead of throwing them
to the curb. Leyland Cypress have been removed from this list.

Local tree farms are also an option. A ride in the country
is always a good family event (young children, “how much longer will it take to
get there?”).Noel’s Christmas Tree Farm
on Johns Island and Too Goo Doo Tree Farm on the way to Edisto are two local
tree farms.Picking out your own tree is
fun for the whole family and usually involves hot chocolate and hay rides. You
know you are getting a fresh tree when you cut it yourself.

If you go with a traditional cut tree, make sure it is in
water at the place you buy it (unless it is coming fresh off of the truck), and
make sure it stays in water until you take it to the curb.Once you bring the tree home, cut an inch off
of the bottom of the tree, and place the tree in a five gallon bucket of
water.While the tree is still outside,
consider spraying the tree with Transfilm, Cloud Cover or Wilt Proof to keep
the water loss through the leaves at a minimum. If you notice any insects on
the tree, blast it with a strong stream of water or consider an insecticidal
soap. Let the tree dry before bringing it into the house.

Locate your tree within your house away from heating ducts
and the fireplace.A stand that can hold
a lot of water is a big plus because a fresh cut Christmas tree can drink 1-2
gallons of water per day.Have one
responsible adult in charge of watering the Christmas tree daily to avoid
ruining the carpet or floors.If you
can, fill (2) one gallon milk jugs each day and let them sit for 24 hours, this
will allow the chlorine to evaporate out of the water.Letting the chlorine evaporate from the water
you water your plants with, is a practice you should use when watering all
house plants.

There are many secrets to keeping a tree fresh.Having a fresh cut and keeping water above
this cut at all times is the most important thing you can do for the tree.The water conducting vessels quickly close up
if the tree does not have constant water.Using a drop of Super Thrive in each gallon of water will help the tree
stay fresh. Many people use 7-up and an aspirin in the water. You might want to
save the aspirin if you drink Uncle Joe’s egg nog.

Thank you for shopping at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control
Supply and all of your letters, questions and for reading The Horticulture
Hotline!

About Me

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to
“ The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker).